Method and apparatus for controlling a keypad of a device

Abstract

A device ( 2600 ) includes a controllable skin texture ( 2606 ) defining a keypad ( 2610 ), a sensor ( 2602 ), and control logic ( 200 ). The sensor senses a proximity of a pointing element ( 2900 ) to a particular key ( 2800, 2808, 2902, 2908 ) of the keypad based on a user input. The control logic adjusts a height of the particular key with respect to another key of the keypad in response to the sensor sensing the proximity of the pointing element to the particular key. In one example, the device includes a display ( 2700 ) for displaying a plurality of keys ( 2612 ). The control logic adjusts visual characteristics of the particular key ( 2800, 2808, 2902, 2908 ) and an adjacent key ( 2802, 2810, 2904, 2910 ) with respect to each other and with respect to other keys of the plurality of keys in response to the sensor sensing the proximity of the pointing element to the particular key.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A device, comprising:
 a controllable skin texture surface defining a keypad; 
 a proximity sensor that is operative to sense a proximity of a pointing element to a particular key of the keypad based on a user input; 
 control logic, operatively coupled to the sensor and the controllable skin texture surface, that is operative to adjust a height of the particular key with respect to another key of the keypad in response to the sensor sensing the proximity of the pointing element to the particular key; and 
 wherein the control logic is operative to adjust a height of a second key of the keypad with respect to other keys of the keypad and with respect to the particular key in response to the sensor sensing the proximity of the pointing element to the particular key, wherein the second key is adjacent to the particular key. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1  wherein the control logic controls the particular key to protrude in response to the proximity sensor sensing the proximity of the pointing element to the particular key. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1  wherein the particular key protrudes higher that the second key. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1  wherein the control logic is operative to adjust visual characteristics of the particular key and the second key with respect to other keys of the keypad. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 4  wherein the control logic is operative to adjust the visual characteristics by at least one of brightness, size, color, shape, and font. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 1  wherein the proximity sensor is operative to sense whether the particular key has been selected based on the user input, the control logic is operative to adjust at least one of the height of the particular key and the height of the second key when the particular key has been selected, and the keypad is operative to provide user feedback that is at least one of auditory and tactile when the particular key has been selected. 
     
     
       7. A method, comprising:
 displaying a plurality of keys; 
 sensing, by a proximity sensor, a proximity of a pointing element to a particular key of the plurality of keys based on a user input; and 
 adjusting a first height of the particular key and a second height of an adjacent key in response to the sensor sensing the proximity of the pointing element to the particular key; and 
 adjusting visual characteristics of the particular key and the second key with respect to each other and with respect to other keys of the plurality of keys in response to the sensor sensing the proximity of the pointing element to the particular key. 
 
     
     
       8. The method  claim 7  wherein the first height and second height are adjusted to protrude from the controllable skin texture surface. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8  wherein the particular key protrudes higher than the adjacent key and wherein the particular key is visually larger than the adjacent key and the adjacent key is visually larger than the other keys. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 7  wherein the visual characteristics are adjusted by at least one of brightness, size, color, shape, and font. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 7  further comprising sensing whether the particular key has been selected based on the user input. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11  further comprising adjusting at least one of the first and second height when the particular key has been selected. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11  further comprising providing user feedback that is at least one of auditory and tactile when the particular key has been selected. 
     
     
       14. A device, comprising:
 a controllable skin texture surface defining a keypad; 
 a proximity sensor that is operative to sense a proximity of a pointing element to a particular key of the keypad based on a user input; 
 control logic, operatively coupled to the sensor and the controllable skin texture surface, that is operative to adjust a height of the particular key with respect to another key of the keypad in response to the sensor sensing the proximity of the pointing element to the particular key; and 
 wherein the control logic controls the particular key to protrude in response to the sensor sensing the proximity of the pointing element to the particular key.